Corona’s ‘free’ legal service queered SC?
Former senator Rene Saguisag wrote about the lawyers who handled the defense of former chief justice Renato Corona during the latter’s impeachment trial (Opinion, 1/31/14). Given the pro bono nature of their services, Saguisag hinted that those lawyers may have thus ingratiated themselves with the many justices of the Supreme Court.
It was obvious that a majority of the Supreme Court justices were quite sympathetic to Corona and made no pretenses of showing otherwise. Those lawyers went in and out of the hallowed halls of “Mt. Olympus,” most probably hobnobbing with them as frequently. Saguisag now “dreads” crossing swords with any of those lawyers in any case pending before the Supreme Court.
It was highly improper for Corona to have accepted “free” legal services, knowing for sure that those lawyers would be expecting something from him (or the Supreme Court?) in return. We should not kid ourselves into believing that the lawyers did it merely out of magnanimity. Corona was not a pauper; he had about P130 million stashed in his bank accounts, according to the Ombudsman (“Coronas face trial on graft charges,” Front Page, 1/29/14). He should have insisted on paying their professional fees to avoid any suspicion of a mischievous “quid pro quo” deal. He, of all people, should know the most basic moral/ethical conduct: “A judge, like Caesar’s wife, should be above suspicion.” It was distressing that he chose to drag the entire Supreme Court into that mess.
—GABRIELLE MICHELLE M. ARGUILLERA,
